Restore Me, Restore Ash the Way He Should Be
by pancham 98
Summary: In Kalos, Ash just got qualified into the Elite Four, but he lost faith after having bad memories of losing every league up to this point. Feeling bad for his depression, Clemont calls up Ash's old friends to come and help cheer him up and regain his potential like old times.
1. Life's Too Short to Even Care at All

Ah, Kalos. The region of dreams. The region of love. The region of destiny.  
My home sweet home.

Salutations, reader! My name's Clemont, one of the Pokemon Gym Leaders  
in Kalos. I'm about to tell you how me, my sister Bonnie, Serena, Brock and Misty helped Ash overcome  
his depression.

It all started when Ash won the Gym Challenge and was about to compete for the League Championships.  
At first, Ash was excited about making it to the Elite Four battles, but suddenly, one day later, he became  
sad.

I went up to Ash that morning after I served the team my Pokemon Pancakes. (I'm a good cook.)  
"Ash, what's the matter?" I asked. "You look as blue as a Blastoise."  
Ash let out a sigh. "Well, it's the League thing. In the past, I lost every league championship.  
I didn't mind losing last time, but this time, I really wanna win and become a Pokemon Master.  
But if I lose... You guys may not want to be my friend anymore."  
"What?" I reacted.  
"Ash," said Serena. "That's not true! We'll always be your friends."  
Ash sniffed. "But what about my other friends in the past? Misty, Brock,  
Tracey, May, Dawn, they probably hate me now."  
"Who's Misty and May and Dawn?" Serena asked, not trying to be jealous.  
"They're just friends of mine. No relation," said Ash. "May and Dawn already have boyfriends.  
Misty and I agreed to be just friends."  
"Oh, okay," said Serena. "Wait! I got an idea. Ash, can you contact your old pals?"  
"I would, but I'm afraid to talk to them."  
"I'll call them for you," I said.  
"Why do you wanna call them?" asked Ash.  
"We are going to restore your faith to fulfil your destiny," I said, winking.

(Meanwhile, in Cuerulean City in Kanto...)  
*Ring, ring, ring! Ring, ring, ring! Phone call! Phone call!*  
*Hello, Misty speaking.*  
"Hi, my name's Clemont. I'm from the Kalos region."  
*Oh, I've seen you on Gym Freaks. You're the Electric-type Gym Leader.*  
"That's me. Do you know my pal, Ash Ketchum?"  
*Yes, I do! Why, what's the matter?*  
"Well, he's depressed. He just got qualified for the Elite Four challenge, and he lost  
his faith. He just told us that in the past, he's lost the championships in every region."  
*Oh my...*  
"Would you mind coming down to Kalos to help us cheer up Ash?"  
*Anything for a friend. I'm on my way. Thank you, Clemont.*  
*END OF PHONE CALL*

Two days later, Misty arrived in Lumious City. We met her at the Prism Tower.  
"Ash!" Misty called out, running over to us.  
"Hi, Misty," said Ash. "I missed you."  
"I missed you, too. You okay?"  
"Not really..."  
"Well, I'm here to help. Oh yeah, I brought a friend."

"Hiya, Ash."  
"Brock!"  
"Missed me?"  
Ash and Brock and Misty hi-five.  
"Word on the street is that you got doubts for winning the  
Kalos League. Right?" asked Brock.  
"Yep," said Ash, sadly.  
"And you think we don't care, huh?" asked Misty, smirking.  
"Well... do you care?" Ash asked, shyly.  
"Of course we do!" Misty and Brock said in unison.  
"All the time, you've been bragging how you want to be  
the number one Pokemon Master of all time," said Misty.  
"Yeah," said Brock. "What happened to the Ash we once knew?"  
"He... he lost hope," said Ash, sadly. "Through the past few years  
I've been losing and losing. Maybe Gary was right. I am a loser."

"Forget Gary," said Misty. "He's not here and he won't bother you."  
"Yeah," I said. "Plus, we got our Pokemon to keep us happy. Like your  
faithful Pikachu."  
(How rude of me! I forgot to mention our Pokemon.)  
Pikachu cuddled Ash on the cheek for encouragement.  
"Pikachu!"  
"I love you, too, Pikachu," Ash said with a smile.  
"Hey, that's what you need," I said. "Pokemon time. Everybody,  
release your Pokemon from your PokeBalls."

Everyone did as I commanded. Brock had a lot of Rock Pokemon like Golem, Onix, and Sandslash.  
Misty, being the Water Type leader in Kanto, had water Pokemon like Dewgong, Starmie, and a Psyduck  
that she doesn't seem to like... Serena had some great Pokemon for her performances like Pancham, a  
newly evolved Sylveon, and a Braixen. Bonnie had Dedinine that Ash caught for her early in our journey and  
a newly hatched baby Riolu. I had Chespin and a newly hatched Elekid. (The rest of my Pokemon were at my  
Gym.) Ash, of course, had his Pikachu, Greninja, Tallonflame, Bulbasaur, Hawlucha, and a newly hatched Noivern.

"Wow," said Misty to Ash. "Is that a Hawlucha? I always wanted to see one up close."  
"Yeah," Ash said, smiling again.  
"I never seen a Pokemon like that," said Brock.  
Serena then took out her PokeDex. "Let's see what Dexter says about Hawlucha."

Hawlucha - The Wrestling Pokemon - With its wings, it controls its position in the air. It likes to attack from above, a  
maneuver that is difficult to defend against.

"Nice," said Misty.  
"So it's like Machop, the Superpower Pokemon," said Brock.  
"You bet," said Ash. "Machop would be a great playmate for Hawlucha."  
"Same with Gurrdurr," I said.  
"Oh yeah," said Brock. "I know that Pokemon."  
"Any strong Pokemon would be friends with Hawlucha," Serena giggled.

Serena's Pancham goes up to Misty and hugs her.  
"I think my Pancham likes you, Misty," said Serena.  
"Hehe. I think you're right," said Misty. "I love cute Pokemon."  
"But you hate your Psyduck, huh?" I asked.  
"Better not bring that up," Ash said. "It irks her when it comes to  
that Psyduck."  
"Oh, sorry," I said.

"Well," I said, changing the subject. "Ash, shall we get to work?"  
"Huh?"  
"We're gonna help you get your faith back," I said. "Restore the Ash Ketchum  
that we once knew. To start, we're going to have a Pokemon battle."  
"Hmm," said Ash. "I guess a battle would do me good. Who wants to battle me first?"  
"I would," Misty said. "It's been a while since we've seen each other. Besides, my Gayrados is dying to see  
your Pikachu again."  
Ash blushed at that statement.  
"G-Gayrados?" Bonnie reacted. She has a fear of that Pokemon.  
"Don't worry, Bonnie," I said, hugging her. "I'm right here."

"Okay," said Ash, turning his cap, like old times. "Let's battle, Misty."  
"Into the Prism Tower, everyone!" I said, leading the way.


	2. Ash and Serena's Love

"So," Brock said to me as we were in the elevator. "You're into science, right?"  
"Yes I am," I said with my glasses begining to shine. "Ever since I was a little boy,  
I would watch 'Jill Bly's Science Time' and learn the basics of Pokemon science.  
When I was six, I took apart my Nintendo 64 to see how it actually worked and managed  
to put it back together again."  
"That's amazing," said Brock.  
"Clemont," said Misty. "Is it true that Kalos has discovered a new kind of Pokemon  
Evolution with stones?"  
"Why yes," I answered. "It's known as Mega Evolution. But it can only work with  
limited Pokemon such as Charizard, Blastoise, Venusaur, Houndoom and Pidgeot. If you want,  
I can show you pictures of what they look like."  
"Please do," said Misty. "I wonder if Gyrados has a Mega Evolution?"  
"It does," I said.  
"Yes!" Misty cheered. "With a Mega Gyrados, I'll be indestructable!"  
"Woah!" said Brock to Misty. "Wouldn't that be cheating for those who would battle you  
for badges?"  
"Oh yeah..." Misty said. "Good point."

Finally, we got to my Gym Battleground. Ash was about to battle Misty. I played  
referee.  
"Okay," I said to Ash and Misty. "First, shake hands."  
"But what if Ash has cooties?" Misty teased.  
"HEY!" Ash reacted. He scowled at Misty.  
"I'm kidding!" said Misty. "Lighten up, Ash Ketchum."  
Ash and Misty shake hands and take their places.

"Round one begin!" I announced.

Misty chose Dewgong as her starting Pokemon. Ash chose Pikachu, not only  
because he's his favorite, but for stratedgy. Water Type is weak against Electric Type.

"Okay, Dewgong," said Misty. "Use Ice Shard!"  
"Dewgong!"  
Dewgong used Ice Shard, but Pikachu was able to dodge the attack.  
"Heh," Misty said with a smirk. "Why are you worried when you got a pro-trained Pikachu, Ash?"  
"Because I fear my other Pokemon may not be good enough," said Ash.  
"Well, we'll worry about that later," said Misty. "Your move."

"Pikachu, use Electro Ball!"  
"Pi... Ka... CHUUU!"  
That was a super effective move from Pikachu. Dewgong became paralyzed.

"Let's see if my Dewgong can manage to do Double Team," said Misty.  
Luckily, for Misty, Dewgong was able to do Double Team even when paralyzed.  
"Nicely done," Misty said to Dewgong.

"Okay, Pikachu," said Ash. "Use Body Slam!"  
"Pika Pika!"  
Pikachu used Body Slam and KOs Dewgong.

"Ash wins Round One!" I announced.

"That was the easy part," said Misty. "Let's go to medium. Never thought I'd say this,  
but Psyduck, I choose you!"  
Right away, Psyduck came out of his PokeBall and got ready to battle.  
"Wow," I said. "He's really eager to battle."  
"Usually, he always comes out first when it comes to battling," said Misty. "It annoys  
the heck out of me when he does that, because I wanted a better Pokemon to come  
out first."  
Then Misty leaned over and whispered in my ear. "Truth is, I don't like Psyduck."  
Wow, I thought. That's harsh.  
"How come?" I whispered back.  
"I'll tell you later," said Misty. "Okay, Ash. You gonna use Pikachu again?"  
"Nope," said Ash. "Pikachu can use a time out for now. Bulbasaur, I choose you!"  
"Bulba!"

"Let the second round begin!" I announced.

"Psyduck, use Confusion!"  
"Psyduck?"  
For some reason, Psyduck used it on himself.  
"Grr!" Misty growled. "Hate when that happens!"  
"Hmm," I said. "No wonder you're not big on this Pokemon."  
"Trust me," said Misty. "It gets worst."

"Bulbasaur," said Ash. "Use Vine Whip!"  
"Bulbasaur!"  
WHIP!  
"Super effective move, Ash!" I said.  
Psyduck flinched.  
"Come on, Psyduck!" Misty whined.

"Use Quick Attack!"  
Psyduck, surprisingly, mannaged to do so.  
"About time," said Misty. "About time you listen to me."

"Okay, Bulbasaur, use Sleep Powder!"  
With the Sleep Powder, Psyduck fell asleep.  
Misty huffed. "Are you trying to push my buttons, Ash?"  
"No," said Ash. "Just trying to win a battle."  
Misty let out a sigh. "Whatever."  
"Okay, use Vine Whip!"  
WHIP!  
Psyduck was now unconscince.  
"Ash wins round two!" I announced.

"Okay, time to pull out the big guns," said Misty. "Come out, Gyrados!"  
"GYRADOS!"  
"Uh-oh..." said Ash, nervously. "Well, where there's a will, there's a way. Come back, Pikachu."  
"Pika Pi."

"Big brother!" Bonnie started to hug my leg in fear.  
"It's alright, Bonnie," I said. "Engage Round Three!"

"Gyrados, use Hydro Pump!"  
Gyrados does so and KOs Pikachu!  
"Oh no!" Ash reacted. "I'm not giving up. Hawlucha, come out!"  
"Hawlucha!"  
"Use Brick Break!"  
Hawlucha does so. It does some damage.

"Nice try, Ash," said Misty. "But can your Hawlchua handle  
Whrilpool?"  
Gyrados used Whrilpool and knocks out Ash's Pokemon again.  
"Grr!" Ash growled, then, he hanged his head.  
"I surrender," he said.  
"Huh?!" we all reacted.  
"No, Ash, please!" Misty begged. "You mustn't give up hope!"  
"Your Gyrados is too powerfull to my Pokemon, Misty. You're gonna  
KO all of them."  
Ash started to exit the battleground.  
"Ash, come back!" I yelled. "We'll do a new battle."  
"Let me take you on," said Serena.  
Ash turned around and thinks about it.

"Maybe Ash needs a break," said Brock. "Besides, the Gyrados may be stressing him out."  
Misty sighed. "Okay," she said.

Then, we went to a Pokemon Center to heal Ash and Misty's Pokemon.  
"You seem to give up easily now," I said to Ash. "You weren't like this when  
you were at the gyms."  
"I'm sorry, guys," said Ash. "I guess I'm nervous about losing again."  
"Well," said Misty. "That's what we're here for. We're gonna help you win the league."  
"And help you become a Pokemon Master," Serena added.  
Ash started to smile. "It's good to know that you guys support me a lot."  
"You do drive me crazy, Ash," said Misty. "But I always know you'll excell in fulfilling your destiny."  
"Thanks, Misty."

"You almost lost hope when you battled me on your first journey," said Brock. "You even thought  
I was a meanie."  
"Well," said Ash. "I learned that you weren't what I thought you were. Someone told me that you took  
care of your family very well and you have a heart."  
"Still do, Ash," Brock said with a smile.

"Ash," said Misty. "Just curious. Is Serena your girlfriend?"  
"Well," said Ash, looking at Serena who was now blushing.  
"Yes," he answered. "She always believed in me in my Kalos journey, and  
she's a great girl. Hope you're not jealous."  
Misty smiles. "It's fine, Ash. After all, I like Serena too."  
Serena hugged Ash. "I'm surprised to know that I'm your girlfriend now."  
"I hope you join me on my next journey, Serena," said Ash.  
Serena sighed sadly. "I wish I could, Ash. But I plan on traveling to Hoenn for  
my next Pokemon Performers movement."  
"Oh," Ash said sadly.  
"Ouch," said Brock.  
"If you want, Ash," I said. "Me and Bonnie will go with you."  
"You'd do that?"  
"Sure. You're a great trainer, and you take care of Pokemon real well."  
"Thanks, Clemont."

*Ring, ring, ring! Ring, ring, ring! Phone call! Phone call!*  
"Ash," said Nurse Joy. "Telephone call for you."  
"Thanks," said Ash, going over to the video phone.  
"Hello?"  
*Hello, Ash!*  
"Professor Oak!"  
*Long time, no chat. Misty told me that you're giving up hope  
on your dream.*  
"It's true, Professor. I've lost every league and I may lose this one."  
*Don't give up, Ash. You're a great trainer and you've done a lot of amazing  
things, like saving the world in the Orange Islands with Lugia.*  
"Oh yeah. I forgot about that."  
*Trust me, Ash. You're Pokemon Master material.*  
(ding-dong!)  
*Oh, gotta go. My pizza's here.*  
"Thanks, Professor Oak. I'll try my best."  
*I know you will. BBFN, Bye-bye for now.*  
"Bye."  
*END OF PHONE CALL*

"That was Professor Oak," said Ash. "He's supporting me too."  
"See?" said Misty. "No one doubts you. We all care."  
"I'm glad you all do," said Ash. "Maybe I do have a chance."  
"There you go," said Brock. "There's the Ash we once knew."  
"Yeah," said Ash. "But... I may not see you guys again soon after this.  
I may not see Serena anymore..."  
"Don't worry, Ash," said Serena. "No matter how far apart we are, we'll always be together."  
Ash and Serena hug.  
"I love you," said Ash.  
"I love you, too," said Serena.


	3. Ash's Nightmare

ASH'S NIGHTMARE

Ash was walking sadly to the Lumoise City Pokemon Center. He lost the League. He wanted to say  
goodbye to Serena and Clemont and Bonnie before he left.

When he entered the bedrooms in the Center, Ash heard moaning and love sounds. He sees Clemont  
French kissing Serena right in front of him!

"SERENA!?"

Serena turned to Ash and glares at him.  
"What do you want?" she said, angrily.  
"I... What are you doing kissing Clemont?"  
"He's my new boyfriend."  
"WHAT!?"  
"Yeah, Ash," said Clemont, smirking evilly. "You were going to forget about  
Serena anyway and never come back for her."  
"That's not true!" Ash yelled.  
"You'll just consider me to be a fricking afterthought!" said Serena.  
"We hate you!" said Serena and Clemont together. "Forget you!"  
"NOOO!" Ash screamed.

Then, Clemont pulls out a ray gun device.  
"Behold, my new invention! This will send any trainer to the firey depths of Hell!"  
He aims it at Ash and before he could shoot...

Ash woke up! He breathes heavily and starts crying.  
"Serena..." he whispered. "You're the only girl I ever loved."

CLEMONT'S POV

The next morning, in the Pokemon Center, I found Ash crying with Pikachu wiping away  
his tears. This didn't look good.  
"Ash," I said, going over to him. "Are you alright?"  
"I... I had a bad dream that not only I lost the league, but Serena dumped me."  
"Dumped you?" I repeated. "For who?"  
"You."  
I gasped and blushed furiously.  
"Me? How come?"  
"Well, it's because you guys thought I considered Serena as an afterthought and ignored her."  
"Ignored her? What do you mean? Oh, you mean like you thought Misty and Brock felt ignored  
by you?"  
"Yeah, somewhere along those lines."  
"Did we call you a loser in your nightmare?"  
"Worst than that. You called me an -"  
"Don't!" I said before Ash could cuss. "I get it. We weren't nice to you."  
"You basically hated me in my bad dream."  
"Ash, you know we don't hate you."  
"I know, Clemont. You guys support me, and I'm grateful that you do."  
I gave Ash a hug.  
"By the way," I said. "Was I kissing Serena in your dream?"  
"You could say that..." Ash said, blushing.  
"Oh, okay, gotcha," I said, also blushing. I knew what he meant by that.

While making breakfast with Brock, I couldn't help but wonder what worried me the most about Ash.  
Whether it was his stress gaining up on him or his fear of losing Serena. Also, I found it embarrassing  
that Ash saw me kissing Serena in his dream. One: I would never steal Serena from Ash. And two: I am capable  
of finding my own girl, thank you very much.

So much was going on for Ash, I just knew we had to step it up a little.


End file.
